JACKSONVILLE — There will be a lot of playing “mountain music” because it “feels so right” with a new performing arts center at Jacksonville State University.
University officials, joined by Gov. Kay Ivey and Hall of Fame singer Randy Owen, broke ground Tuesday for the Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts.
The ROC will honor Owen’s contributions to the arts and society while supporting the education and training of students. It will be a space that all JSU students can call home, the university said.
Owen. a Fort Payne native, graduated from Jacksonville State in 1973 with a degree in English while pursuing his music career on weekends and between classes. He went on to be the founder, lead singer and songwriter for the band Alabama.
“We have strong ties to country music in Nashville, so this will allow us to recruit a broader market for those who are … wanting to get into country music, or the music business in general,” said Jax State President Dr. Don C. Killingsworth Jr.
The $41.3 million project is at the corner of Church Street and Roebuck Waters Drive. The additional 50,950 square feet of existing space, known as the ROC Educational Wing, will include a 400-seat recital hall, rehearsal hall, backstage suites, recording studio, educational classrooms, and meeting and office space.
“This is such an exciting and humbling experience to see such an impactful facility being named in honor of Randy: a husband, dad, granddad and true artist and humanitarian who has given so much to the world,” said Kelly Owen, his wife of more than 40 years. “Our family’s hope is that the ROC serves as a foundation of inspiration to others, regardless of where they come from, giving them courage to follow their dreams and leading them where they want to go in life.”
To date, more than $22 million has been raised toward the $41.3 million project, which includes a $15 million appropriation from Ivey and the Alabama State Legislature.
“And to think it all started with a guitar,” Owen said.
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